Do I need a weapon light?

[fredridge]

Been on and off about getting one, but want to order a holster so need to decide.

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[saxon]

for a holstered weapon i would say no.
for a HD weapon kept by the bed i would say yes.

 

[fredridge]

So, I keep my carry by the bed in a holster for my HD weapon. It's a p365 and no light.
This is for my full size that I use for range fun and pull out and leave by the bed when things get a little crazy like recent.
More rounds and a red dot.

 

[CRBMoA]

My bedside gun is sitting in an open drawer, out of it's holster. Don't need to be fooling with that in the dark.

 

[DB is Here]

I don't have one on my EDC but will carry a flashlight if I'm out at night. All my HD firearms pistol/rifle have flashlights.

 

[fredridge]

I have the strange worry about trying to grab it half asleep, so I like a trigger guard. Maybe one of those string ones for at night.

My bedside gun is sitting in an open drawer, out of it's holster. Don't need to be fooling with that in the dark.

I do EDC an Olight baton II something or other. But it's not in my room at night.

I don't have one on my EDC but will carry a flashlight if I'm out at night. All HD firearms pistol/rifle have flashlights.

 

[Howard1955]

For me, the answer is yes. If I'm inside a building, and I need my gun but the lights have gone out, I need to either have a flashlight or a light on the gun.

I choose to carry both. A separate flashlight, and a light on the pistol.

 

[Tony617]

I have a bed holster that I put my pistol in at night and it has a weapon's light on it as well. Keep a spare magazine and gun mufflers on my nightstand. This is the one I have and it large enough to have a weapons light on:

Amazon.com : BLACKHAWK 40BH00BK Bedside Holster-Ambidextrous : Gun Holsters : Sports & Outdoors

There are others that accommodate a weapon, extra magazine and a small hand held flashlight:

Amazon.com : Terrernce Tactical Bed Pistol Holster, Bedside Handgun Holster, Mattress Gun Holster Universal with Flashlight Loop : Sports & Outdoors

 

[Alexx1401]

Been on and off about getting one, but want to order a holster so need to decide.

Only you can say do "you need" one. None of my carry pistols have one, yet. ALL my at home guns have one. The ones I use are a light and laser combo that's rechargeable so no battery changes. Many will tell you all kinds of reasons to not have either or both. I will not be without them. You have to decide if you want one for you.

 

[Joe13]

I can work the pump on my 870 and hold a flashlight with 2XL hands.

I prefer no light on my pistols and some don't have rails so it's not an option.

I figure people have been using firearms without lights mounted on them for awhile so I've not jumped on the bus, but I think that it is a very personal choice as well.

I won't recommend the underwear I like either

 

[The Heretic]

It is pretty simple for me; if you stand a significant chance of having to use it in the dark, then yes, a light is useful. Target identification is important. Very important.

I have lights and lasers for many of my guns - personal defense guns, not just handguns, but shotguns and yes, rifles.

For the handguns, the lights are less powerful - I want them to be more compact and lighter weight - at this point in time, my fave for handguns is the Streamlight TLR-8G. 500 lumens, green laser.

For my shotguns (Shockwaves), I like the TLR-2 HLG. More powerful at 1K lumens.

I spend most of my time at home (especially now that I am unemployed). I live in the boonies. Very little crime. Extremely low chance of home invasion/etc.

Very little ambient light at night. No street lights. Outside of my house, the only lighting is mine, which does not extend very far, especially winter when the batteries run down due to not as much sun to recharge them.

If I go outside, I am more likely to encounter a cougar or a bear or a feral dog, than I am a human being. So I want to be able to see them - I would prefer to not back them into a corner.

 

[11Charlie]

All HD firearms pistol/rifle have flashlights.

ALL!! You did a survey and all gun owners had lights on there home defense gun? That must have taken you some time!!!

 

[CRBMoA]

I have the strange worry about trying to grab it half asleep, so I like a trigger guard. Maybe one of those string ones for at night.

I have huge hands and have been a gun owner for 40 years. My level of comfort grabbing my unholstered weapon in the dark is a reflection of my experience and routine. Gun lies in exactly the same place each night.

I would NOT recommend the practice to anyone. But it works for me.

However, I need to consistently put a flashlight nearby and this thread is a good reminder!

 

[GWS]

Well, you do need to be able to identify your target so, how you do that is up to you. The nice thing about attached weapon light is the light is there. No wasting time looking for one. Downside is it does make the pistol a bit clunkier to handle and holster.
Personally, I do find a light on the forend of my shotgun very handy but on a handgun, not so much.

 

[DB is Here]

ALL!! You did a survey and all gun owners had lights on there home defense gun? That must have taken you some time!!!

Oops...All my HD guns have flashlights...better?

 

[American123]

Depends on how concealed you want to be. Personally, I prefer WML on anything I would carry except for the tiniest sneakiest option where I REALLY care about concealing, other than that. WML for everything. The amount of space it takes up for me is insignificant and I never want to wish I had more light.

 

[sobo]

Been on and off about getting one, but want to order a holster so need to decide.

For my smaller EDC, the SIG P365, the answer is no (mostly cuz it's a proprietary rail).
For my bigger EDC, the answer is yes. SIG P320 Compact with a SureFire X-300A Ultra.


If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion, I would encourage you to peruse this site:
Werkz

From his website: Holsters For 668 Gun/Light Combinations... And Counting!

He will custom-make a Kydex holster to practically any gun and light combo you might have. Great company over in Idaho.
I've bought two from him (one for each of my EDCs), and am now thinking I'm going to have him make me one for the P320 with the light, cuz I get tired of removing the light every morning before I kit up.

And, like @CRBMoA, my 320 sits on the nightstand, in exactly the same place each night, out of its holster, just waiting...

 

[L84Cabo]

If you carry and/or if you keep a gun for defense, you need a light. Whether it's mounted to the gun or handheld is a personal choice. And if you do have it mounted to the gun, you may still need a handheld...because if you have to identify a "bump in the night" and there's a chance it's a family member, you probably don't want to point a loaded gun at them to identify them. YMMV

With the above said, make absolutely sure you can find a holster to fit your gun/light combination BEFORE you buy the light. There are tons of lights on the market these days. But as you move away from Surefire and Streamlight, finding a holster for it can be an increasingly difficult proposition.

 

[Kruel J]

Hell yes. That's my answer.

 

[titsonritz]

I have lights, and both light bearing and non-bearing holsters